10/19/08

Things were much simpler in the time of Jesus.He foils the scheme of the Pharisees’ attempt to entrap himby, well – by tossing a coin!But this time it’s not “heads or tails,”rather, it's “heads AND tails.”Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesarand to God what belongs to God.

While that sounds simple,and offers a defense for paying the tax- to an emperor who claimed to be God -it leaves us with the more difficult, lingering question,“Is there anything that does not belong to God?”It’s that difficult question that waits for our responsewhile, in these last weeks before the election,we ponder what to give to Caesar and what to give to God…

If you've followedwhat the American Catholic bishops have been writingover the past yearor even if you only read the four page insert from the bishopswhich I offered you in last week’s bulletin,then you know that the bishops assert that it’s not their intentionto “tell Catholics how to vote”and that “as Catholics we are not single-issue voters.”(CFCFC, pp. 1, 2)

At the same time, the bishops focus with clarity and great strengthon the centrality of the right to life and the dignity of the human personas the foundation upon which all moral and political judgmentsshould be weighed and made.

In offering advice on how Catholics might form their conscience,the bishops speak of actions that are “intrinsically evil”with a concentrated emphasis on abortion.“Intrinsic evil” is not a new theological category, it’s an old one.The bishops’ statements draw on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical,The Splendor of Truth(Veritatis Splendor) no. 80,in which he drew from the Vatican II document,Joy and Hope(GuadiumetSpes) no. 27,to offer these examples of intrinsic evil:

“Whatever is opposed to life itself,such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion,euthanasia or willful self-destruction;- whatever violates the integrity of the human person,such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind,attempts to coerce the will itself;- whatever insults human dignity,such as subhuman living conditions,arbitrary imprisonment,deportation, slavery, prostitution,the selling of women and children;- as well as disgraceful working conditionswhere men and women are treatedas mere tools for profitrather than as free and responsible persons;- all these things and others of their likeare infamies indeed.They poison human society…they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator. "

These are deeds considered so evilthat no circumstance can make them good.Though such a list may help us understand,it also intensifies the task ahead of us as voters.In working to discern“what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God,”an how we come to a decision,we should take the bishops seriously:- when they assert that it is their duty to teach the truthbut not to tell us how to vote;- when they remind that Catholics are not single-issue voters- when they write about intrinsic evilsand the Catholic Christian response to them;- when they write about the virtue of “prudence” in our discernmentand the “courage” we need to act on our judgments; (CFCFC, p. 2)- and when they remind us, and I quote here, that:

“Catholic voters should use the frameworkof Catholic teachingto examine candidates’ positionson issues affecting human life and dignityas well as issues of justice and peace,and they should consider candidates’integrity, philosophy and performance.” (FCFC, no. 41)

The bishops have not told us, here, for whom to vote:they have outlined the issues and given us a frameworkfor discerning wisely.

I would not for a moment suggestthat such discernment is an easy task.This is much harder than making one’s decision based on:- allegiance to a particular political party- or one’s affection or dislike for one candidate or the other- or one’s own philosophical or ideological stance.

The discernment we must make requiresserious study, reflection and prayer.

For us this means taking the substance of our faith in Christ,enlightened by 2,000 years of tradition and teaching,with knowledge of today’s world and its problems,and standing before God with our thoughts and opinions,asking for the wisdom of the Holy Spiritto guide our deliberations.

Perhaps the most important thing each of us needs to doin the days between now and November 4this to allow the light of faith to come to bearon the decisions we make,and the votes we will cast.

In short: we need to pay less attention to Joe the plumberand more attention to Jesus the carpenter.

Scripture leads us to understand the Eucharistas a table set by Wisdom who feeds her children with truth.

Our “wisdom table”is this altar where we share in the sacrifice of Jesus.The gift of his life nourishes us with his truthand strengthens us to live by his Word.May our hungry hearts be filled and our minds enlightenedby the sacrament we celebrate and receive.

5 comments:

Catholic voters should use the frameworkof Catholic teachingto examine candidates’ positionson issues affecting human life and dignityas well as issues of justice and peace,and they should consider candidates’integrity, philosophy and performance.” (FCFC, no. 41)

WORD FOR THE WEEKEND 3/8

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A Blessing for Lent

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Lent 2015

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Music for Winter Prayer

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href="http://ekaterinasfluff.com/album/the-keys-of-e">The Keys of E by Ekaterina

A daily prayer

A song and prayer for Lent

I need a clean heart this Lent, Lord, so in these 40 days I pray you'll: sweep, dust, cleanse, mend, repair, forgive, purify and strengthen this heart of mine... And because I need a new spirit within me, Lord, I pray you'll: renew my listless spirit, lift up my drooping spirit, rekindle my burned-out spirit, open up my selfish spirit, refresh my failing spirit, energize my tired spirit, pardon my sinful spirit and put a right spirit within me, within this heart of mine...

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.